History events
-456 — The convocation summoned by Ezra on intermarriage came to an end
629 — (21th of Adar II, 4389) Byzantine Emperor Heraclius marched into Jerusalem at the head of his army with the support of Jewish inhabitants. The Jews who had previously fought with the Persians against Byzantine rule decided to support him in return for a promise of amnesty. Upon his entry into Jerusalem the local priests convinced him that killing Jews was a positive commandment and that his promise was therefore invalid. Hundreds of Jews were massacred and thousands of others fled to Egypt. Thus, much of the rich Jewish life in the Galilee and Judea came to an end
1349 — (1st of Nisan, 5109) Three thousand Jews were killed in Black Death riots in Efurt Germany
1475 — (13st of Nisan, 5235) Simon of Trent disappeared from Trento, Italy. The disappearance led to a blood libel that led to 8 Jews being hung by local authorities for their part in a plot use the blood of this Christian child in the making of Matzah
1542 — (4st of Nisan, 5302) Paul III issued “Cupientes Judaeos” the Papal Bull dealing with the treatment of Jews who converted to Christianity including the strictures that the assets of converted Jews could no longer be confiscated, converted Jews could no longer live with Jews, and that converted Jews must be treated the same as other free citizens
1681 — (1st of Nisan, 5451) Three Jews executed at Wilna on a false blood accusation
1907 — (6st of Nisan, 5667) Before “donning their uniforms” those in the army reserves who had been called up for duty “plundered several Jewish shops” in Berlad, Moldavia
1952 — (24st of Adar, 5712) The Jerusalem Post was happy to announce, that together with all other Israeli newspapers, it would no longer appear as a two-page issue, but would be able to return to four pages daily and eight pages on Friday; preliminary secret reparations talks between the Israeli-Jewish and German delegations had begun at The Hague
1968 — (21st of Adar, 5728) Israeli forces crossed the Jordan River to attack PLO bases
1978 — (24st of Adar II, 5738) Operation Litani, which was designed to dislodge the PLO from its bases in southern Lebanon came to a successful conclusion
2011 — (15st of Adar II, 5771) The field hospital Israel is establishing in Japan is the first to be set up by any nation offering outside assistance, Israel’s Ambassador to Japan Nissim Ben Shitrit said today, and the Japanese are extremely appreciative. Ben Shitrit said the hospital was being established at Minamisanriko, a fishing city 290 miles north of Tokyo, that was utterly overwhelmed by the quake and tsunami and where some 10,000 people are dead or missing
People
1648 — (8th of Nisan, 5408) Seventy-six year old, the Venice born rabbi Leon Modena or Yehudah Aryeh Mi-modena who was a scholar and a gambler passed away today
1697 — (9th of Nisan, 5457) Amsterdam Rabbi Abraham Cohen Pimentel passed away. A student of Saul Levi Morteira, he served as hakham of the synagogue in Hamburg and was initially a signator to a letter of approbation for Sabbatai Zevi. He was the author of the “Minchat Kohen,” published in 1668
1872 — (11th of Adar II, 5632) Russian Talmudist Samuel ben Joseph Strashun, also known as Rashash (רש»ש) passed away today in Vilna
2002 — (8th of Nisan, 5762) Yitzhak Cohen, 48, of Modi’in, Tsipi Shemesh, 29 (who was 5 months pregnant with twins) and Gadi Shemesh, 34 were murdered and 47 people were injured when a Palestinian suicide bomber detonated a bomb outside a clothing store and toy shop on King George Street in Jerusalem